California Bills Would Put Free Textbooks Online

05/31/2012

Two bills requiring online, open-source material for the top 50 college courses in California have been overwhelmingly approved by the State Senate, according to the Associated Press. The material would be free on the Web, and printed copies would be available for a small charge. Sen. Darrell Steinberg, president pro tem and a Democrat, said the legislation would help to offset high tuition and fees by offering an alternative to “exorbitant” prices charged by textbook publishers. The bills are opposed by the Association of American Publishers.